We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. The office is also still working with limited hours and patient volume to reduce and minimize exposure rates for our patients as well as our staff. We also ask for your continued patience during these changes that our office is making. Our office is going to be making several services that are handled face to face such as billing, appointment setting, treatment consultations, and updating paper work even more digital over the next several weeks. Many of you have noticed we are utilizing our text and email features that the office has in place with a great more frequency and will continue to do so for our patients.
For example:
- Our office may communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
- We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
- You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
New Protocols for Patients:
- We ask that you please stay home and reschedule your appointment if you are experiencing a cough, fever, sore throat, loss of smell/taste or have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
- Checking in for appointments: To check in, patients will call or text the office upon arrival and stay in their car until instructed to come up by office staff. This will reduce the number of people in the waiting room and help maintain social distancing. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE EARLY FOR YOUR DENTAL APPOINTMENT WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF BEING ABLE TO WAIT IN THE WAITING ROOM.
- Masks/face coverings are required to enter the office and should stay on while waiting, even in the treatment rooms.
- Every person entering Smile Art Dentistry will have their temperature taken.
- Patients will be instructed to sanitize their hands with hand sanitizer which will be available at the front counter of the office.
- Before dental treatment begins, patients will be given a safe hydrogen peroxide dilution to rinse with for 30 seconds. This pre treatment rinse kills/reduces any virus present in the oral cavity.
- All Personnel belongings must be left in your vehicle. IE: Cell Phones, Jackets that will not be worn by you during your procedure and hand bags/purses…..Etcetera.
- We unfortunately will be limiting the time we take to chat about fun, life, and personal things. Appointments will be health care driven and will need to stay on point for your services and dental/oral hygiene needs.
- All Estimated co pays/patient portions will need to be collected upon arrival for your dental appointments. If financing or payment plans are needed you will be required to make arrangements prior to your appointment.
- Our restroom is open for use for patients on the way into the office only. Once you have been seated and your treatment has began/completed patients will not be permitted to come back through the office for restroom use. You will be exiting our side door from the treatment area.
We are confident that the protocols and measures we have implemented will provide a safe environment in which to provide dental care. We also welcome any questions or concerns you may have.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 858-566-2151 or visit our website at SMILEARTDENTISTRY.COM.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.
We request notice of cancellation 48 business hours prior to your appointment or there may be a fee. Our policy is implemented in order to offer another patient the time that was previously reserved for you. As a courtesy, when time allows, we make reminder calls/ emails for appointments. If you do not receive your reminder call or message, the cancellation policy will still remain in effect.
Treatment coordinator
Smile Art Dentistry (858) 566-2151